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Rabat – Provincial authorities in Morocco’s southern Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region closed the port of Laayoune on Saturday to avoid a “second wave” of COVID-19 .
As of August 8, the port is closed until further notice.
In a statement, authorities informed sailors and owners of fishing boats of the decision to close the port due to the epidemiological situation in the city. With COVID-19 continuing to spread, the threat of a second wave of infections is high.
Morocco’s COVID-19 cases significantly increased in recent weeks, bringing the total number of infections to 32,007.
The number of deaths reached 480 as of August 8, while recoveries have reached 22,190.
Morocco has recently recorded over 1,000 new cases per day and over 10 fatalities.
The Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra region has recorded 874 cases since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Morocco in March.
The regions with the highest case counts are Casablanca-Settat (8,338), Tangier-Tetouan Al Hoceima (7,304), Fez-Meknes (5,188), Marrakech-Safi (4,859), and Rabat-Sale-Kenitra (3,069).
The Ministry of Health and Head of Government Saad Eddine El Othmani have warned that the situation in the country is “worrying.”
“The spread of COVID-19 is going so fast,” Minister of Health Khalid Ait Taleb said on July 27.
“We cannot take risk and give a deadline, the pandemic does not give a deadline. One day will be a risk,” Ait Taleb said.
The Ministry of Health called the week from July 27 to August 2 the “worst” since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in Morocco. During this period, 69 COVID-19 patients died and the number of patients in critical care increased.
On August 6, El Othmani said the recent developments in the spread of COVID-19 in Morocco require heightened caution and vigilance.
Moroccans must act seriously and take all necessary measures to keep the “worrying” situation from worsening further, El Othmani stressed.
“Responsibility is individual and collective […] everyone must contribute positively to the fight against this pandemic, by adhering to preventive measures and adopting [cautious] behavior,” he said.
While Laayoune has been enjoying a surge in domestic tourism since local flights resumed on June 25, the current COVID-19 situation requires local authorities to take preventive measures against a second wave of infections.
